Apple has lost its top position in smartphone shipments in China, reports Canalys, falling from the #1 slot it achieved in Q4 of 2014 to #3 in Q2 of this year.

Canalys did not reveal Apple’s market share (a number it would like its clients to pay for), stating only that Xiaomi took the top slot with a 15.9% share, with Huawei close behind at 15.7%. A separate market size estimate from Counterpoint, with similar numbers, suggests that Apple’s market share in the country may have fallen to around 12.2% … 

However, Canalys said that Apple continues to expand its sales activities and that it and Huawei are applying “immense pressure” against Xiaomi, and Counterpoint said that Apple shipments remained strong despite the usual seasonality factor.

Apple reported 112% revenue growth in China during the same quarter. A key difference between Apple and its local competitors in China, of course, is profitability. It was recently reported that Apple takes a full 92% of all the profits made in the entire smartphone industry.

Via CNET. Image Adrian Isén.